Law and Policy

Law and Policy Rep. Jim Steineke speaking
Law and Policy Has Qualified Police Immunity Become Absolute Immunity? Task Force Is Divided.

Police defend the controversial doctrine while activists and a former Republican Assembly candidate criticize it.

Jonathon Sadowski Jonathon Sadowski February 26, 2021 4:24 pm CST
Law and Policy A police officer draws a gun
Law and Policy Could Wisconsin Be the Next State to Overhaul Qualified Immunity Protection for Police?

Task Force on Racial Disparities begins discussion on the controversial legal doctrine during a Kenosha meeting.

Jonathon Sadowski Jonathon Sadowski February 25, 2021 2:53 pm CST
Law and Policy A mural in memory of Breonna Taylor is being painted on a State Street store front. Gov. Tony Evers and Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes introduced a package of bills in June that would ban no-knock search warrants. Taylor was shot by police after they entered her Louisville home with that type of warrant. (Photo by Lola Abu)
Law and Policy State Rep. Myers Introduces Bill Banning No-Knock Warrants in Wisconsin

The use of a no-knock warrant led to the death of Breonna Taylor last March in Kentucky.

Jonathon Sadowski Jonathon Sadowski February 2, 2021 1:36 pm CST
Law and Policy Tanya McLean, left, executive director of Leaders of Kenosha, and Justin Blake, the uncle of Jacob Blake, are continuing to fight for local, state, and federal police reforms a month after the Kenosha district attorney declined to charge the officer who shot Jacob Blake seven times. The Blake family will return to Washington, DC this month to meet with federal lawmakers, and McLean's group is remaining active as a local advocacy organization and watchdog. (Photo by Jonathon Sadowski)
Law and Policy Jacob Blake’s Uncle Sees Biden as a Positive for Police Reform Movement

Justin Blake and Kenosha activist Tanya McLean on why they’re still hopeful for change, even after no charges were filed against the officer who shot Jacob Blake.

Jonathon Sadowski Jonathon Sadowski February 2, 2021 1:05 pm CST
Law and Policy Garland Hampton, left, and Dominee Meek spent more than 25 years behind bars serving live prison sentences they received at age 15. They were released on parole, but thanks to a state law change, teens receiving the same sentence just a few years later would not have been eligible for a parole. Meek and Hampton are advocating for other teens to have the same shot at redemption. (Graphic by Morgaine Ford-Workman)
Law and Policy Proposed Bill Would End ‘Unconscionable’ Practice of Giving Kids Life Without Parole

Wisconsin continues to sentence young people to life sentences without the possibility of parole, despite the practice being banned by the US Supreme Court.

Jonathon Sadowski Jonathon Sadowski January 28, 2021 10:56 am CST

continuing coverage

Registered nurse Kay Hartman at N.E.W. Community Clinic in Green Bay prepare to administer second doses of the COVID-19 vaccine to several of the clinic’s medical staff and volunteers on Jan. 27, 2021. (Photo by Christina Lieffring) Coronavirus Wisconsin Passes a Half-Million Fully Vaccinated as Third Vaccine Arrives
A sexual assault evidence collection kit. Politics Reform Supporters Hope GOP Won’t Derail Bill Addressing Rape Kit Backlogs Again
U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin. (Photo provided) Infrastructure Baldwin Now Heads Senate Panel Key to Expanding Broadband Across Rural U.S.
Image from the WI Department of Natural Resources website Natural Resources Too Fast, Too Many: Ojibwe Bands Want Wolf Hunts Better Managed or Stopped
Law and Policy Joseph Mensah
Law and Policy Waukesha Sheriff Hires Joseph Mensah, Former Cop Who Killed Three People in Five Years

Sheriff claims he had an “exhaustive hiring process.”

Jonathon Sadowski Jonathon Sadowski January 26, 2021 1:15 pm CST
Law and Policy A police officer draws a gun
Law and Policy Debate on Cops Drawing Guns, Banning Chokeholds Reveals Serious Divides on Racial Disparities Task Force

The task force’s work continues, even as it appears to be falling behind schedule.

Jonathon Sadowski Jonathon Sadowski January 22, 2021 11:24 am CST